Članci i polemike 1: Ratne teme

Articles and Controversies 1: War Topics is the first book in a five-volume set of Krleža's collected publicistic works. It includes texts from the period of World War I and its immediate aftermath, in which Krleža appears as a military commentator, analyst, and polemicist.

The book contains reports from various battlefields (Western Front, Italian Front, Eastern Front), comments on major battles (Verdun, Somma, Piave, Brusilov Offensive), strategic analyses, and broader political and social reflections on the war. Krleža follows the official reports of the warring parties, but systematically demystifies and criticizes them. He sees the war as an imperialistic massacre in which a small man, especially a Croatian and South Slavic soldier, suffers for the interests of others.

Already in these early texts, his exceptional erudition, precise and ironic style, and ability to transform military topics into a profound critique of society, nationalism, and the senselessness of war are visible. Here, the germs of the attitudes that he would later develop in The Croatian God Mars, plays and novels are clearly discernible – strong anti-militarism, disgust towards imperial policies and distrust of official narratives.

The stylistic texts are dynamic, polemical and sharp. Krleža does not shy away from fierce assessments of political elites, military leaders and media propaganda. The collection documents his transition from his initial war experience to revolutionary and leftist ideas.

War Topics are indispensable for understanding Krleža's biography and intellectual formation. They show how one of the strongest anti-war voices in 20th-century South Slavic literature emerged from his personal war experience (he was mobilized). Although less widely read than fiction, these pages reveal Krleža as a lucid historical analyst and passionate polemicist who views war primarily as a moral and human catastrophe.